1

Please note the following rules and information when ordering flags to be flown over the U.S. Capitol: 

• Flags and/or Flag Flying Fee Cards can be purchased from:

Stationery Room Office Supply Service 

Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room B-42 Longworth House Office Building, Room B-217 

202.224.4771 202.225.3321 

• Each flag sent to the Flag Office that is to be flown over the U.S. Capitol must have a Flag Flying Fee Card

included if the request is not submitted through the automated, web-based system. As of October 1, 2018, the 

fee for this card is $9.00.

• Only the official 50-star U.S. flag or a past official U.S. flag will be flown (no state flags are permitted). All 

flags must be made in the United States.

• The Flag Office will accept requests to fly personal U.S. flags (not purchased at the Senate Stationery Room or 

House Office Supply Service). Personal flag requests should be noted clearly on the request form and hand 

delivered to the Flag Office by a staff member.

• The turnaround time from the day the flag is received in the Flag Office to the day it is returned to the 

congressional office is approximately two weeks, weather permitting. Flags are not flown on the following 

holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. You can select a date for the flag to be flown but 

cannot submit it more than two weeks in advance of the selected date. Requests sent more than two weeks in 

advance will be returned to your office due to the lack of storage space in the Flag Office.

• Flags flown over the U.S. Capitol can be no larger than 8′ x 12′.

• Personalized dedications are permitted but limited to 300 characters.

• When submitting a flag request from the U.S. House of Representatives, use the automated request process 

found on your representative’s website. After the representative’s office approves a request, the Architect of the 

Capitol (AOC) will receive and process it automatically, eliminating the need for offices to purchase flags from 

the House Office Supply Store. Additionally, the Chief Administrative Officer has updated the portal with 

Pay.gov, a secure government payment system, to allow for credit card and electronic check payments.

• For House members, flags can be ordered in bulk (10 or more) from the Office Supply Service and sent directly 

to the Flag Office with your Flag Flying Fee Cards (one per flag). The Flag Office request form can be found at 

Flag Flying Guidelines
2

www.aoc.gov/flags. Make sure the form or letter accompanies the order, along with the information for the 

certificates. If your letter or form is not attached to the bulk order, all certificates will contain a standard 

statement indicating the flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol at the request of the representative. Bulk orders 

can also be submitted through the automated, web-based system.

• When submitting flag requests from the United States Senate, please use forms provided in the Printing and 

Graphics and Direct Mail Office (SD-G82). If you choose to bypass Printing and Graphics and walk your flag to 

the Flag Office, you can use the PDF Flag Request Form at www.aoc.gov/flags.

• Due to lack of storage space in the Flag Office, congressional personnel must send someone to the Flag Office 

to collect the flags that have been walked over after the process is completed.

• The Flag Office will only process Same Day Rush requests for funerals. These requests should be dropped off 

before noon to allow adequate time for processing. The flag will be available for pick up after 3 p.m. 

Unfortunately, requests cannot be processed while you wait. 

• Once the flags are processed, you will receive the original certificate along with a copy. Only one certificate 

per flag is allowed. The white copy is for your office records.

• Certificate correction requests may be faxed or hand delivered to the Flag Office. When requesting a change in 

the dedication, the original certificate must accompany the request (if you fax the correction, you must bring the 

original when you pick up the corrected certificate). Certificate corrections can be picked up between 3 p.m. 

and 5 p.m.

• The Flag Office is located in the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building, Room HT-12. The hours of operation 

are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can contact the Flag Office by phone at 202.228.4239 or

by fax at 202.228.4718.